Florida Marijuana Laws — Right to Try Act Amendment Sent To Governor

As discussed in previous articles here, the Florida legislature has finally approved an expansion of last year’s “Right to Try” Act. This is good news for Florida marijuana patients. In simple terms, the “Right to Try” Act allows terminally ill citizens of Florida to try certain experimental medical treatments that have not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The expansion of the “Right to Try” Act just passed by the Florida legislature expands medical marijuana legalization in Florida and will allow terminally ill patients who are within the last year of their lives to use non-smokable medical marijuana of all strengths and doses. This includes even euphoric strains of medical marijuana. On March 10, 2016, the bill was presented to Governor Rick Scott for approval. It is expected that Governor Scott will allow this bill to become law.

The Florida medical marijuana amendment to the “Right to Try” Act (House Bill 307) also expands the regulatory framework of Florida’s Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act, which legalized low-THC (non-euphoric) cannabis for patients who are Florida residents, suffer from cancer or a condition that chronically produces seizures or severe and persistent muscle spasms, and meet certain other conditions described in that Florida marijuana law.

Under this new Florida medical marijuana law, the 5 Florida dispensaries (which can be found here) that were previously authorized to cultivate, process, transport, and dispense low-THC cannabis under the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act can also dispense even euphoric strains of Florida medical marijuna to “eligible patients” as now defined by Florida’s Right to Try Act. This new Florida medical marijuana law would also allow the licensing of up to three new Florida marijuana dispensaries if the demand for legal medical marijuana exceeds certain thresholds established in the bill (i.e., more than 250,000 patients registered to the Florida Compassionate Use Registry (also known sometimes as the Florida marijuana registry or the Florida medical marijuana registry). As also discussed in previous articles, no Florida marijuana card will be required for legally eligible patients to be prescribed medical marijuana by Florida-approved marijuana doctors.

Please note that these new Florida marijuana laws are different from the United for Care marijuana petition that will be on Florida’s November, 2016 ballot. If the United for Care Florida marijuana petition passes, as expected, the availability of medical marijuana in Florida will expand again and be available much more widely in Florida to citizens with qualifying illnesses.

The Florida Medical Marijuana Directory will post an in-depth article on the recent Florida marijuana amendment to the “Right to Try” Act as soon as the bill becomes law. This is expected to happen by the end of March, 2016.